How to modify a calculated field in a pivot table

After you create a calculated field, you can easily update the formula at any time.

Let’s take a look.

To modify a calculated field, you need to navigate to the Insert Calculated Field dialog box. First, select any cell in the pivot table. Then, on the Options tab of the PivotTable Tools ribbon, click “Fields, Items & Sets”, then choose Calculated Field.

Next, select the calculated field you want to work with from the name drop-down list.

You can now update the formula as you like. To make an easy example, we’ll modify this formula by adding 100 to the result.

Click the Modify button to update the formula and leave the dialog box open. Click OK to update the formula and close the dialog box.

You can now see that the formula has been updated.

Note that you can’t undo changes made using the Calculated Field dialog box, so be careful.

We can follow the same process to change the calculated field back to the original formula. You don’t need to click the modify button, you can just click OK after making changes.

You can temporarily remove a calculated field from a pivot table by unchecking the box in the field list. The calculated field will be removed from the pivot table but it will remain in the field list. Check the box again to add the field back to the pivot table. You will need to update the field name again, if you changed it, and the number format.

To delete a calculated field, return to the Insert Calculated Field dialog box and navigate to the field using the drop-down menu. Then click the Delete button. The calculated field will be permanently removed from the field list and from the pivot table.